Tutorial: Creating a Print-ready PDF

Adobe PhotoShop can save basic PDFs, but these PDFs are poorly-suited for uploading to the web (they are meant for local use on your computer only). To generate web and print PDFs, you must use a tool like Adobe InDesign to compress a PDF meant for your target destination. Typically, the”high quality PDF preset” is selected as it is the most versatile, allowing it to be used across multiple platforms.

Step 2: In InDesign, Create a new document (File > New > Document). Either manually input the size of the page that you would like to output to, or use a preset page size. Click OK.

Step 3: You will now “place” your PhotoShop image in your InDesign layout document. Remember, your PhotoShop file should measure out to same dimensions as you would like it to appear in your final design. If this isn’t the case, go back and adjust your image dimensions in PhotoShop (Image > Image Size). Back in InDesign, we place the file. Just go to File > Place and select the correct file. Left-click anywhere on the InDesign document to place your file in.

Step 4: To generate a PDF, follow the steps in this video, using the “high quality PDF preset” option.